Electric socket



April 2%), 1930.

w. LINDSAY ELECTRIC SOCKET Fil d Feb. 25, 1928 Patented Apr. 29, 1930 UNITED STATES rArr rice WILLIAM LINDSAY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ECONOMY FUSE AND MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK,

ELECTRIC SOCKET Application filed February 25, 1928. Serial No. 256,850.

The present invention relates to improvements in electric sockets.

Electric sockets as commonly used include an insulating member providing a supporting means for binding posts or the like for connection to the two wires of an electric circuit. Said insulating member also provides supporting means for a screw-threaded shell. Said supporting means is commonly housed within a two-part casing. In many States of the United States the underwriters require that the casings of electric sockets be made of insulating material if said sockets are to be located in damp places. A problem is to secure together the parts of such casings, inasmuch as no metal parts are ordinarily exposed exteriorly of the socket. The present invention constitutes an improvement over the structure disclosed in an application filed by David D. Gordon on March 23, 1927, Se

rial No. 177 ,480.

An object of the present invention is to provide a construction in whiohthe spring members utilized in said Gordon application are positively actuated by the skirt portion of the socket to actuate the free ends of said spring members to insure a positive locking action.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an electric socket mechanism which may be readily assembled and which securely holds the parts in assembled relationshi A further object is to provide an electric socket assembly which is cheap to manufacture, which may be assembled on a quantity basis at a relatively low cost, which is sturdy, and which provides a positive locking action of improved design to hold the parts in assembled relationship.

Further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

Referring to the drawings- Figure l is a view in side elevation of an electric socket embodying the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure l but showing the skirt portion removed;

Figure 4 is a sectional view illustrating the skirt for cooperation with the parts shown i I in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a holding member used in the practice of the present invention, and

Figure 6 shows a detail of a latch forming part of the present invention, an extremity thereof being shown in its bent position, some- .vhat exaggerated.

The particular socket assembly chosen for illustration embodies switching means, the switching means illustrated being of the pull chain variety. The present invention is not limited to socket mechanisms embodying switching means, and for this reason the switching mechanism need not be described in detail.

The numeral 1 indicates a supporting mem her which will preferably be composed of in sulating material. Said'supporting member provides a base for certain switching mechanism, indicated as a whole by the numeral 2, which switching mechanism includes a bell mouth 3 forming a chain guide for the pull chain 4. The supporting member 1 also provides a support for the shell 5, which according to ordinary practice may be formed of sheet metal. Said shell 5 is screw-thread. ed both externally and internally, the. thin sheet metal providing said internal and ex ternal screw-threads. The supporting member 1 and the parts supported thereby'may take the form usual in present practice, but should be provided with a shoulder 6, for a purpose which will appear hereinafter.

The insulating member 1. the shell 5 and the parts connected thereto are mounted within a housing or casing comprising the cap 7 and the skirt 8, which in a preferred embodiment of the present invention are both made of insulating material. If made of other than in sulating material, it will be understood, of

course, that the electrical conducting parts of the socket will be properly insulated from said housing or casing comprising the cap 7 and the skirt 8. The inner wall 8 of the skirt 8 is trusto-conical in contour in that portion thereof which is adjacent to the cap 7.

The cap 7 provides the aperture 9 for the a admission of the two wires of an electric cirthe interior of the cap 11 close to the upper v extremity thereof. Secured to the cap 11 are a plurality of resilient hold ng'members or latches 12-12 having bent over portions adapted to be secured to the cap 7 by means of screws 13 or other preferred holding means. Each of the resilient holding members 12 is provided with. the shoulder 14 disposed adj acent to the lower extremity of the corresponding holding member 12. S'aid shoulders 14 a re adapted to snap over the annular shoulder 6 which is rigid with the insulating member 1, whereby to hold the insulating member 1 and its associated parts releasably within the cap 7. The free end of each of the holding members 12 is provided with the piloting portion 15 at its extremity, whereby the annular shoulder 6 may be readily snapped into cooperating relationship with the shoulders 1414 of the holding members 12; Said shoulders 14'14 are preferably rounded, whereby to simplify the matter of snapping the annular shoulder 6 past said shoulders.

The lower extremity of the cap 7 is provided with the shouldered portion 16 and adapted to receive a corresponding shouldered portion 17 on the upper side of the skirt 8. The interior of the skirt 8 is screwthreaded, as indicated by the numeral 18,

which screw-threaded portion is adapted to 'mesh with the external screw-threads, of the shell 5. If preferred, a metal'lining 19 may be provided within the screw-threaded portion of the skirt 8 for engagement with the shell 5. The inner wall 8 of the skirt 8 is so designed relative tothe free extremities 15 of the latches 12V12Ythat as the skirt 8 is turned up upon the screw-threaded shell 5, said wall 8 will positively actuate saidextremities 15-15 inwardly, whereby a positive locking action is had between the shoulders 1414 of said latches l2-12 and the shoulder 6 of the supporting member 1.

bled by unscrewing the skirt 8 from the shell 5, after which the insulating member 1 may be snapped past the shoulders 14 of the holding members 12 and whereby the extremities of the two wi res of an electric circuit may be conveniently secured to the binding posts (not shown) on said insulating member 1. Afterthe electric circuit wires have been secured in place, the insulating member 1 and its attached parts may be snapped into position with the shoulders 14 of the holding members 12 in holding relationship with the annular shoulder 6. The skirt 8 may then be placed in position upon the shell 5' and screwed home. As notedabove, the screw ing home of the skirt 8'will actuate the extremities 1515 toward the axis of the socket, tending to swing said extremities about the shoulder 6 as a fulcrum, the result being that a positive locking action is had, said action being the more positive the further up the skirt 8 is screwed.

By reason of the fact that the shell is a complete cylinder, the skirt 8 may be screwed home without danger of stripping the threads upon said shell member. A tightv wedging action is therefore had between the screwthreads of the shell 5 and the skirt 8, whereby said skirt 8 isheld securely in position.

The present invention presents the advantages not only that the cost of assembly at the factory is greatly reduced, but the task of the person installing the socket is very greatly simplified.

Though a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, many modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. It is intended to cover all such modifications that fall within the scope of the appended claims. I

What is claimed is 1. In an electric socket, in combination, a two-part housing comprising a cap and a skirt, means within said housing for sup porting circuit connector means, and resilient latch members secured to said cap and having latching engagement with said supporting means, said supporting means having shoulder means, said latch members having movable extremities, said skirt having a portion adapted to exert a force upon said extremities to bend same about saidshoulder means- 2. In anelectric socket, in combination, a cap, a skirt, means within said cap and skirt including a screw-threaded cylindrical shell adapted to receive an electric plug, said means including a shoulder, and a latch'within said cap adapted toengage saidshoulder to retain said means within said cap, said skirt having a screw-threaded portion engaging the screw-threads of said shell, said latch having a bendable extremity, said skirt having a portion adapted to exertforce upon 7 bend same about said 7 bendable extremity, said skirt having a portion adapted to exert force upon said extremity to bend same about said supporting means as a fulcrum.

4:. In an electric socket, in combination, a cap, a skirt, means housed within said cap and skirt, said means including a shouldered portion, and a resilient latch for releasably holding said meanswithin saidcap,saidmeans and said skirt having cooperating screwthreads, said skirt and said cap having portions abutting one another when said skirt is screwed home upon the screw-threads-of said means, said latch having a bendable extremity, said skirt having a portion for positively moving said extremity about said shouldered portion as a fulcrum into latching engagement with said shouldered portion, whereby when said skirt is screwed home upon said screw-threads of said means, said shouldered portion will be securely latched and the threads upon said means and said skirt will be brought into jamming relationship with one another.

5. In an electric socket, in combination, a cap, a skirt, means housed within said cap and skirt, said means including an externally screw-threaded cylindrical socket member, said skirt having screw-threads cooperating with said externally threaded socket member, said cap and skirt having portions positioned to abut when said skirt is screwed home upon said socket member, and a latch secured to said cap and having latching relationship with said means, said latch. having a bendable extremity, said skirt having a portion'adapted to positively move said extremity about said shouldered portion as a fulcrum when said skirt is screwed home upon said socket member, whereby when said skirt is screwed home as aforesaid the screwthreads on said skirt and upon said socket member will be brought into jamming relationship with one another and said latch will be brought into positive latching engagement with said means.

6. In'an electric socket, in combination, a cap, a skirt, means housed within said cap and skirt, said means including a shouldered portion, and a latch for releasably holding said means within said cap, said means and said skirt having cooperating screw-threads, and said skirt and said cap having portions adapted to abut when said skirt is screwed home upon said means, said latch having a bendable extremity, said skirt having a portion for positively moving said extremity about said shouldered portion as a fulcrum into latching engagement with said means.

7. In an electric socket, in combination, a cap, a skirt, means housed within said cap and skirt including a screw-threaded shell adapted to receive an electric plug, said means including a shoulder, and a latch within said cap adapted to engage said shoulder to retain 

